Town will learn the identity their first round Carling Cup opponents when the draw takes place at 9.30am this morning. The Blues are seeded in the southern section of the draw.
The regional nature of the draw doesn’t mean that there isn’t the possibility of a long trip, with Town having been handed a visit to Shrewsbury at this stage a year ago, Roy Keane's men progressing to round two having won a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 3-3.
Burnley and Hull City, as the clubs involved in round one highest placed in last year’s league tables, have been handed a bye to round two. The first round ties will be played in the week commencing 9th August.
TWTD will have Town's full programme of league fixtures available on the site as soon as they are officially released at 9am tomorrow.
Meanwhile, TWTD has learned that the club is in talks regarding the possibility of a second home pre-season friendly against Premier League opposition with Tottenham the likely opponents.
Already confirmed is West Ham’s visit to Portman Road on Saturday 31st July, while the Blues will travel to Southend on Friday 9th July.
Town are also pencilled in to play PSV in Eindhoven on Saturday 17th July, but this game is still to be confirmed by either club. Further Dutch friendlies are also likely to be in the club’s plans.
Meanwhile, former boss George Burley is reportedly a strong contender for the vacant manager’s job at Crystal Palace and is also being linked with the same role at Plymouth, where he would be reunited with former team-mate Paul Mariner, who moved back to a coaching position at Home Park at the end of the season.
Ex-loanee Moritz Volz has joined Hamburg-based side St Pauli, who won promotion to the Bundesliga last season.
Carling Cup — Round One
South - Seeded
1. Portsmouth
2. Cardiff City
3. Swansea City
4. Reading
5. Bristol City
6. Queens Park Rangers
7. Ipswich Town
8. Watford
9. Crystal Palace
10. Norwich City
11. Millwall
12. Plymouth Argyle
13. Charlton Athletic
14. Swindon Town
15. Southampton
16. Colchester United
17. Brentford
18. Bristol Rovers
19. Milton Keynes Dons
20. Brighton & Hove Albion
South - Unseeded
1. Yeovil Town
2. Leyton Orient
3. Exeter City
4. Notts County
5. AFC Bournemouth
6. Dagenham & Redbridge
7. Gillingham
8. Wycombe Wanderers
9. Southend United
10. Aldershot Town
11. Port Vale
12. Northampton Town
13. Shrewsbury Town
14. Burton Albion
15. Hereford United
16. Torquay United
17. Barnet
18. Cheltenham Town
19. Stevenage
20. Oxford United
North - Seeded
1. Nottingham Forest
2. Leicester City
3. Sheffield United
4. Middlesbrough
5. Doncaster Rovers
6. Derby County
7. Preston North End
8. Barnsley
9. Coventry City
10. Scunthorpe United
11. Leeds United
12. Sheffield Wednesday
13. Peterborough United
14. Huddersfield Town
15. Walsall
North - Unseeded
1. Carlisle United
2. Oldham Athletic
3. Tranmere Rovers
4. Hartlepool United
5. Rochdale
6. Stockport County
7. Morecambe
8. Rotherham United
9. Chesterfield
10. Bury
11. Bradford City
12. Accrington Stanley
13. Crewe Alexandra
14. Macclesfield Town
15. Lincoln City